JP7520335B1 - Unmanned aerial vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a space-saving aerial vehicle.
[Solution] The aerial vehicle 1 comprises a plurality of lift engines 21 that generate lift, a plurality of propulsion engines 22 that generate thrust, a receiving part 122 on which a component 31 equipped with equipment according to an application can be detachably mounted, and a motion control device 40 including a control part 41 that controls the output of the lift engines 21 and the propulsion engines 22 so that the vehicle assumes a specified attitude, and does not have main wings that generate lift greater than the lift generated by the lift engines 21.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an aerial vehicle.

Aircraft have different functions, equipment, shapes, etc. depending on their applications. Recently, vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the V-22 (commonly known as the Osprey; see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1) have been published for transport purposes, and are primarily used for military purposes. Vertical landing aircraft that can be used as fighter aircraft, such as the F-35B (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2), have also been published.

But the V-22 is prone to instability when changing propeller direction, and the F-35B cannot take off vertically.

In addition, both aircraft have large components such as the wings, and require a large space to store them.

"MV-22 Osprey" https://www.mod.go.jp/j/approach/anpo/osprey/haibi/pdf/mv22_pamphlet.pdf "Reiwa 2nd Year Defense White Paper <Commentary> Acquisition of F-35B Fighter Jets" https://www.mod.go.jp/j/publication/wp/wp2020/html/nc007000.html

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a space-saving aerial vehicle.

The contents of the above "Background Art" and "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" indicate the opportunity (trigger) that led to the invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the invention, nor do they permit a limited interpretation of the technical scope of the invention (see Heisei 17 (Gyo-Ke) No. 10042 and the Japan Patent Office Examination Guidelines as of the filing date, Part II, Chapter 2, Section 2, 3.2.1).

The present invention includes a plurality of lift engines 21 which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate lift and are equipped with flaps for reverse thrust, a plurality of propulsion engines 22 which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate thrust and are equipped with flaps for reverse thrust, a receiver 122 for removably mounting components equipped with devices according to applications, an attitude table 431 which stores, for each lift engine 21, the output of the lift engines 21 and for each propulsion engine 22, for implementing an attitude change instructed for each attitude change, an operation condition table 432 which stores operation stop conditions for stopping an attitude change for each operation content, and a sensor for detecting parameters related to each condition defined in the operation stop conditions. and a control unit 41 which, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches the operation condition table 432 to read out the attitude and the operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches the attitude table 431 and reads out from the attitude table 431 the outputs of the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22 corresponding to the attitude previously read out, and operates the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22 in accordance with the read-out outputs, and when it is determined that the operation stop condition is satisfied based on the output of the sensor group, stops the specified operation.

The present invention provides a space-saving aerial vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a side appearance of the aerial vehicle. 2 is a view of the aerial vehicle as seen from the arrow A in FIG. 1 . 2 is a view of the aerial vehicle as seen from the arrow B in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a plan view of the aerial vehicle with components removed. 5 is an end view of the receiving portion as viewed from the arrow C in FIG. 4 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a combat component. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a jet engine. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a jet engine with reverse thrust flaps open. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a motion control device. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a posture table. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of an operation condition table. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a component control table.

Below, an aerial vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(basic way of thinking)
Conventional aircraft have large wings, so they require a large space to store them. In addition, models that can take off and land vertically generate lift and thrust mainly through propellers or fans. As a result, some models have a low movement speed and unstable aircraft attitude, leading to many accidents. In addition, not only does it take time and money to train pilots, but sudden changes in attitude can be harmful to the pilot's body, especially in fighter aircraft.

Regarding the main wing, the aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment does not generate lift by the main wing, but is provided with a power source for generating lift (hereinafter referred to as a lift engine 21). Specifically, the aerial vehicle 1 is provided with a jet engine, which is a power source that takes in oxygen required for burning fuel from the atmosphere, or a rocket engine, which is a power source that loads the oxygen or oxidizer required for burning fuel into the aircraft, mixes the oxygen or oxidizer with the fuel, and burns the mixture.

Therefore, the aerial vehicle 1 does not have a main wing that generates a larger lift than the lift generated by the lift engine. Therefore, the aerial vehicle 1 requires less space when stored.

The aerial vehicle 1 also uses a jet engine or rocket engine as a power source (hereinafter referred to as the propulsion engine 22) that generates power to move the aircraft in the forward and backward directions, and is provided in addition to the lift engine.

As a result, not only is vertical takeoff and landing possible, but it is also capable of rapid takeoff and high-speed travel, including at the speed of sound.

Regarding the Pilot The aerial vehicle 1 can be operated unmanned by the motion control device 40. The motion control device 40 pre-stores the operations of the lift engine and the propulsion engine 22 required for the operation corresponding to the specified operation instruction, reads out this operation, and controls the operation of the lift engine and the propulsion engine 22 including the reverse thrust flap 211.

Therefore, there is no need for a pilot to be on board the aircraft, which saves time and costs associated with pilot training.

Furthermore, because there is no pilot on board, it is possible to perform rapid and complex attitude changes, such as rapid somersaults, that would be impossible with a human on board. Therefore, during a dogfight between fighter planes, it is possible to take an extremely advantageous position and attitude against enemy fighter planes piloted by humans, making it possible to effectively eliminate the enemy fighter planes.

Regarding componentization of aircraft elements, the airborne vehicle 1 components the aircraft elements, which are functional parts mounted on the fuselage section and the like, and is equipped with detachable members that enable easy replacement of the components of these aircraft elements (hereinafter simply referred to as components).

Therefore, by replacing these components, it is possible to change the aircraft into a transport plane, a fighter plane, or any other mobile body with the functions required for the mission. This also means that, for example, there is no longer a need to carry both transport planes and fighter planes on an aircraft carrier, further saving space.

(Configuration example)
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of an aerial vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a view of the aerial vehicle 1 as viewed from the arrow A in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the aerial vehicle 1 as viewed from the arrow B in Fig. 1. As indicated by arrow X1 in Fig. 1, the direction of the air intake port of the propulsion engine 22 (hereinafter, the right propulsion engine 22R and the left propulsion engine 22L will be collectively referred to as the propulsion engines 22) will be referred to as the front, and the direction of the exhaust gas outflow will be referred to as the rear. Below, an example will be described in which jet engines are used for the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22 of the aerial vehicle 1.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the aerial vehicle 1 comprises a main body 10 and a transport component 31T, which is a component 31 for transport as an example of a component 31.

The main aircraft body 10 is equipped with an equipment storage section 11, lift engines 21 (hereinafter, the front right engine 21FR, the front left engine 21FL, the rear right engine 21RR, and the rear left engine 21RL are collectively referred to as the lift engines 21), and a propulsion engine 22.

The device storage section 11 stores the motion control device 40 in the forward leading portion of the main aircraft body 10.

The lift engines 21 are jet engines or rocket engines. The lift engines 21 include a front right engine 21FR installed on the front right side of the main body 10, a front left engine 21FL installed on the front left side of the main body 10, a rear right engine 21RR installed on the rear right side of the main body 10, and a rear left engine 21RL installed on the rear left side of the main body 10.

The lift engine 21 is installed with its air intake facing upward and its exhaust gas outflow facing downward. The lift engine 21 is attached to the main body 10 via a mounting member 13, but may also be attached directly to the main body 10.

The transport component 31T is provided with a hatch 31T1 on the side portion of the transport component 31T for loading and unloading items.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 10 has a support 110 with wheels 111 that can be stored inside the main body 10. When in use, the support 110 opens in the direction of the arrow X2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the aerial vehicle 1 with the component 31 removed. As shown in Figure 4, the aerial vehicle 1 includes a crosspiece 121, a receiving portion 122, and a lock 123.

The crosspiece 121 connects and supports the forward portion of the main body 10, which includes the equipment storage section 11, the front right engine 21FR, and the front left engine 22FL, and the rear portion of the main body 10, which includes the rear right engine 21RR, the rear left engine 21RL, and the propulsion engine 22.

Multiple receiving sections 122 are placed above the crosspiece 121 so as to intersect perpendicularly to the extension direction of the crosspiece 121.

The locks 123 are arranged in multiple numbers on the surfaces facing the component 31 in the front part of the main body 10 and the rear part of the main body 10, and are inserted into insertion holes provided in advance in the component 31 to secure the component 31 to the main body 10.

The lock 123 is protruded or retracted by the solenoid. When the solenoid is de-energized, it protrudes to secure the component 31 to the main body 10, and when the solenoid is de-energized, it retracts to allow the component 31 to be removed from the main body 10.

Figure 5 is an end view of the receiving portion 122 as viewed from the arrow C in Figure 4. The solid line represents the receiving portion 122, and the dashed line represents the component 31. As shown in Figure 5, the receiving portion 122 has a receiving groove 122G on the upper side.

The receiving groove 122G has a width approximately equal to the width of the roller 322 of the roller portion 321 that the component 31 has on its lower surface. When the solenoid is energized, the component 31 is placed on the main body 10 by placing the roller 322 in the receiving groove 122G and moving it. Thereafter, the solenoid is de-energized and the component 31 is fixed to the main body.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a combat component 31A, which is another example of a component 31 for combat. As shown in Figure 6, the combat component 31A can be selectively equipped with a number of missiles 31A1, as well as machine guns, bombs to be dropped, or suicide bombs to be dropped on enemy facilities to blow them up, etc.

In addition to these, components 31 can be newly installed depending on the purpose, such as a reconnaissance component equipped with reconnaissance equipment, a camping component equipped with facilities for camping at the landing site, a medical component equipped with facilities for performing medical procedures at the landing site, etc. It is also possible to leave the component 31 at the selected location and return only the main aircraft 10.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a jet engine 20 used in the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a jet engine 20 with a reverse thrust flap 211 open. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the jet engine 20 has a reverse thrust flap 211 near the exhaust port of the jet engine 20.

When the jet engine 20 receives a mechanical or electrical command to perform reverse thrust, it extends the arm 212 and displaces the flap 211 to a position where it will hit the exhaust coming out of the exhaust hole of the jet engine 20. At this time, the flap 211 changes the direction of the exhaust of the jet engine 20 to a direction almost opposite to the direction of the exhaust. Therefore, the output of the jet engine 20 acts in the opposite direction to the direction of travel.

The arm 212 is extended by energizing a solenoid connected to the arm 212, and is retracted into the housing of the jet engine 20 when the solenoid is de-energized.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the motion control device 40. The motion control device 40 controls the motion of the aerial moving body 1. As shown in Figure 9, the motion control device 40 includes a control unit 41, a sensor group 42, a memory unit 43, and a communication unit 44.

The control unit 41 includes a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

The sensor group 42 may include, for example, an infrared sensor 421, an imaging camera 422 that captures visible light, an acceleration sensor 423 that detects the acceleration of the airborne moving body 1 in each three-dimensional direction, a gyro sensor 424 that detects the attitude displacement of the airborne moving body 1 in each three-dimensional direction, and an altitude sensor 425 that detects the altitude of the airborne moving body 1 from the ground surface using a laser beam or air pressure. Each sensor included in the sensor group 42 outputs the detection result to the control unit 41.

The memory unit 43 includes a storage device selected from various types of memories and storage devices. The memory unit 43 stores a posture table 431, an operating condition table 432, and a component control table 433.

The communication unit 44 includes a master communication unit 441, a master-slave communication unit 442, and a location information acquisition unit 443. The master communication unit 441 includes a communication device for communicating with the base, and the master-slave communication unit 442 includes a communication device for communicating between the master unit that issues instructions to other aerial vehicles 1 and the slave unit that is an aerial vehicle 1 that follows the instructions of the slave unit. The location information acquisition unit 443 includes a communication device that acquires location information of the vehicle itself from, for example, GPS (The Global Positioning System), and outputs the acquired location information to the control unit 41.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the attitude table 431. The attitude table 431 stores the output of each engine for each change in the attitude of the aerial vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 10, the attitude table 431 stores an attitude number, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to each attitude of the aerial vehicle 1, attitude change details indicating the changes in the attitude of the aerial vehicle 1, and the output of each engine of the lift engine 21 and each engine of the propulsion engine 22, which are converted into numerical values for each attitude change content. Here, for example, +10 indicates that the output in the forward direction that does not activate the flaps 211 is 10% of the maximum output, and -20 indicates that the output in the reverse direction that activates the flaps 211 is 20% of the maximum output.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the motion condition table 432. The motion condition table 432 stores conditions for stopping the change in posture of the aerial moving body 1 for each motion of the aerial moving body 1.

As shown in FIG. 11, the motion condition table 432 stores motion numbers, which are identifiers uniquely assigned to each motion of the aerial moving body 1, posture numbers corresponding to the postures used in each motion of the aerial moving body 1, and motion stop conditions indicating the conditions for stopping the maintenance of the posture indicated by the posture number.

Here, the operation of the control unit 41 when changing the attitude of the aerial moving body 1 will be described. First, when the control unit 41 determines that it has received an instruction for an operation to change the attitude of the aerial moving body 1, it searches the operation condition table 432 and reads out the attitude number and operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the specified operation.

For example, when the control unit 41 receives an instruction to start movement No. Bn (forward somersault), the control unit 41 searches the movement condition table 432 to read out the posture No. corresponding to movement No. Bn and the movement stop condition.

Next, the control unit 41 searches the attitude table 431 to read the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude number, and adjusts the output of each engine according to the read output. In the above example, the control unit 41 reads out the attitude number: "An+1", the operation stop condition: "Model rotation angle = 180°", and the attitude number: "An+2", the operation stop condition: "Roll angle = 180°".

Next, the control unit 41 adjusts the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+1 and performs a nose climb. The control unit 41 then determines whether the aircraft's turning angle has reached 180°, and if so, changes the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+1 to the output of each engine corresponding to the attitude No. An+2.

The control unit 41 then determines whether the roll angle has reached 180°, and if so, returns the output of each engine to the default (e.g., constant forward speed).

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the component control table 433. The component control table 433 stores the details of the operation of each component 31 and the conditions for stopping that operation.

As shown in FIG. 12, the component control table 433 stores a component number, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to each component 31, a component name, a control ID, which is an identifier uniquely assigned to the control content, the control content, and a control stop condition indicating the condition for stopping the operation of the control content.

For example, if the airborne vehicle 1 is equipped with a component for transporting equipment, when the control unit 41 determines that it has received control ID: C001-001, which is an instruction to open the hatch, it performs a pre-stored lock-and-unlock operation to open the hatch and an operation to open the door, and when it determines that the control stop condition "lock-and-unlock & door open sensor ON" is satisfied, it stops the operation to open the hatch.

(Other examples of air vehicles)
The airborne vehicle 1 is space-saving. Therefore, it is possible to mount multiple units on a large aircraft. For example, the airborne vehicle 1 equipped with the combat component 31A is loaded onto an airborne carrier, which is a large aircraft, and transported to the vicinity of an enemy base. Then, when an instruction to start an attack is issued from the base, the airborne carrier launches the airborne vehicle 1 and causes the airborne vehicle 1 to start the attack. By operating in this manner, it is possible to reduce the fuel consumption of the airborne vehicle 1, and if a refueling device is installed on the airborne carrier, continuous attacks become possible.

(effect)
As described above, the unmanned aerial vehicle 1 of this embodiment comprises a plurality of lift engines 21 which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate lift and are equipped with flaps for reverse thrust, a plurality of propulsion engines 22 which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate thrust and are equipped with flaps for reverse thrust, a receiving section 122 on which components equipped with equipment according to the application are detachably mounted, an attitude table 431 which stores, for each lift engine 21, the output of the lift engines 21 and for each propulsion engine 22, for achieving an attitude change instructed for each attitude change, an operation condition table 432 which stores operation stop conditions for stopping an attitude change for each operation content, and each condition stipulated in the operation stop conditions. and a control unit 41 which, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches the operation condition table 432 to read out the attitude and the operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches the attitude table 431 and reads out from the attitude table 431 the outputs of the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22 corresponding to the attitude previously read out, and operates the lift engine 21 and the propulsion engine 22 in accordance with the read-out outputs, and when it is determined that the operation stop condition is satisfied based on the output of the sensor group, stops the specified operation. The aircraft does not have a main wing that generates lift greater than the lift generated by the lift engine 21.

Therefore, the aerial vehicle 1 of the present invention has the effect of realizing space saving.

1 Aerial vehicle 2 Patent Office Examination Guidelines Part II No. 10 Main body 11 Equipment storage section 13 Mounting member 20 Jet engine 21 Lift engine 21FL Front left engine 21FR Front right engine 21RL Rear left engine 21RR Rear right engine 22 Propulsion engine 22FL Front left engine 22L Propulsion left engine 22R Propulsion right engine 31 Component 31A Combat component 31A1 Missile 31T Transport component 31T1 Hatch 40 Motion control device 41 Control unit 42 Sensor group 43 Memory unit 44 Communication unit 110 Support 111 Wheel 121 Crosspiece 122 Receiving portion 122G Receiving groove 123 Lock 211 Flap 212 Arm 321 Roller portion 322 Roller 421 Infrared sensor 422 Imaging camera 423 Acceleration sensor 424 Gyro sensor 425 Altitude sensor 431 Posture table 432 Operation condition table 433 Component control table 441 Master communication section 442 Master-slave communication section 443 Position information acquisition section

Claims (1)

a plurality of lift engines, which are jet or rocket engines that generate lift and have reverse thrust flaps;
A plurality of propulsion engines, which are jet engines or rocket engines that generate thrust and have reverse thrust flaps;
A receiving portion on which a component having a device according to an application is removably mounted;
an attitude table that stores, for each of the lift engines, the output of the lift engines and for each of the propulsion engines, the output of the propulsion engines for achieving the attitude change instructed for each attitude change;
a motion condition table storing motion stop conditions for stopping the posture change for each motion;
A group of sensors that detects parameters related to each condition defined in the operation stop condition;
a control unit which, when it is determined that an instruction to perform an operation has been received, searches said operation condition table to read out an attitude and said operation stop condition corresponding to the operation content of the instructed operation, searches said attitude table to read out from said attitude table the outputs of said lift engine and said propulsion engine corresponding to the attitude previously read out, and causes said lift engine and said propulsion engine to output in accordance with the read-out outputs, and when it is determined that the operation stop condition is satisfied based on the outputs of said sensor group, stops the specified operation;
Equipped with
An unmanned aerial vehicle that does not have a main wing and generates lift greater than or equal to the lift generated by the lift engine.

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